Our mission
Save Temecula exists to fight SDG&E's Golden Pacific Powerlink and advocate for alternatives that protect our community.
Save Temecula is a volunteer-led community coalition and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It was formed in response to SDG&E's proposed Golden Pacific Powerlink, a massive 500-kV transmission project that would significantly impact the safety, environment, economic well-being, health, and quality of life of Temecula Valley — while providing no direct benefit to our community.
We believe the people who live here should have a meaningful voice in decisions that will affect our community for generations.
Our mission is to educate, inform, and engage residents regarding the proposed Powerlink and its potential impacts on Temecula. Through research, public education, community outreach, coalition-building, and participation in regulatory processes, we work to ensure that residents have access to accurate information and meaningful opportunities to participate in decisions affecting their community.
When residents are organized, informed, and actively engaged, decision-makers must answer difficult questions, alternatives be examined, and communities cannot be ignored. There is precedent: mobilized communities have pushed back successfully in the past.
We are committed to bringing transparency to the process, scrutinizing the facts, evaluating alternatives, and empowering residents to make their voices heard at every stage of the process. We believe that public agencies, regulators, and project proponents should be accountable to the communities their decisions affect.
Temecula is not simply a corridor on a utility map. It is a community of families, neighborhoods, schools, businesses, churches, open spaces, and ecologically and culturally sensitive areas that people have invested years into building and protecting.
Together, we can Save Temecula.
Board of Directors
Every one of us lives here, and every one of us serves as a volunteer. In our own words:
Mark Winkler
President
I am the retired President of one of the largest media companies in the United States. Prior to that role, I served as the CSO and CMO of one of the largest privately held media companies in the country. I spent much of my career serving the Fourth Estate — guarding the truth and protecting the public interest. When I heard about the Powerlink proposal, I was appalled and outraged. It is deeply personal to me, as my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson live directly in the proposed corridor.
Crystal Prado
Treasurer
I am a Temecula small business owner and accounting professional with more than 20 years of experience. I am proud to bring this background to my role as Treasurer of Save Temecula while giving back to the community I call home. Because the Powerlink directly impacts the area where my family and close friends live, I am fully dedicated to stopping this project. I care deeply about our community and want to help protect the families, neighborhoods, and quality of life that make Temecula such a special place.
Racheal Allen
Secretary
I'm a local Realtor and proud to serve as Board Secretary of Save Temecula, but for me, this fight is deeply personal. Like so many of our neighbors, I cannot imagine looking across the community we love every day, seeing and hearing massive SDG&E 500-kV transmission towers permanently altering our hillsides, neighborhoods, and views. Temecula is our home — it's where we're raising our families and building our futures — and I'm fighting to protect its beauty, safety, property values, and the quality of life that made so many of us choose to call this place home.
Shal Renfro
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
As a media and entertainment executive, I've helped individuals and brands — from Jennifer Lopez to national advocacy nonprofits — tell their stories in ways that capture their audiences, inspire loyalty, and maximize sales and donations. My family moved to Temecula from LA, and fell in love with this gem of a city. I founded this grassroots coalition because the Golden Pacific Powerlink is a grave threat to our community, and I am confident that if we rise up to fight it together, we can Save Temecula.
Natalie Garcia
Director of Field Operations and Community Outreach
I am an experienced executive with a diverse background in Finance, Human Resources, and IT & Project Management, most recently serving as Vice President of Finance for a mid-size company. I am passionate about leading organizations to success and bringing visions to reality. I serve on the Board of Directors to give my time and talent to the Temecula community in fighting the proposed SDG&E Golden Pacific Powerlink. I became involved after learning about the project through my HOA in May 2026. Having lived here for over 18 years, I am committed to protecting our property values, safety, and community from increased wildfire risk and EMF exposure.
Jason Amy
Director of IT and Research
Software developer for nearly 30 years and a lifelong entrepreneur. I live here, and the Powerlink would cut through my community. I'm not willing to watch Temecula be destroyed for a line that primarily serves other counties.
We're an all-volunteer team, and we're hiring volunteers — see our open positions. Have a question or want to get involved another way? Contact us.